DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Daytona Beach police say a fight at a local bar last week led to a car chase that left a man dead.
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Police responded to a call for help from the Ocean Deck Restaurant and Bar just before midnight Thursday.
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Investigators later determined two men had gotten into a fight at the bar that escalated into an armed confrontation.
Police say one of the men, identified as 29-year-old Oneil Edwards, was caught on video attempting to stab the other man with a pocket knife multiple times during the fight.
Investigators say the second man, identified as 33-year-old Alexander Simon, eventually made it out of the bar and into the parking lot.
However, before Simon could drive away, police say Edwards broke the front passenger-side window of his truck with the butt of a gun and attempted to fire it, but it didn’t work.
That’s when police say Edwards went to his own car to get a machete and used it to break the front driver’s-side window of Simon’s truck as he drove away.
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According to police, Edwards then got back into his own car and pursued Simon’s truck down State Road A1A.
Investigators say the chase continued southbound on A1A until Simon crossed the intersection at Silver Beach Avenue where he lost control of the truck and rolled over before colliding with a concrete pole.
Simon was thrown from the truck and died at the scene.
Police say Edwards left the crash scene but voluntarily went back to the Ocean Deck to speak to officers there.
A Daytona Beach man is arrested for his role in a bar argument and street pursuit which ultimately led to an Ormond Beach man losing his life in a traffic crash.
— Daytona Beach Police (@DaytonaBchPD) July 25, 2022
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He wasn’t arrested on the scene, but investigators say they found probable cause to arrest him Monday on charges of second-degree attempted murder, battery, and criminal mischief for his role in what happened at the bar.
Police say more charges are pending against Edwards stemming from the chase and crash that led to Simon’s death. A separate investigation into the traffic incident is ongoing.
Investigators say they’re still trying to figure out exactly what started the fight in the bar.
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